FIFA reduces Ronaldo s penalty? Portuguese Football Association will appeal

In a focus match of the 9th round of Group F of the European World Cup preliminaries in the early hours of Friday morning, the Portuguese team lost to Ireland 0:2 away from home. The 40-year-old Ronaldo was sent off directly with a red card for elbowing Irish defender O'Shea during the game.

Cristiano Ronaldo will be suspended for three games as a result, which will cause him to miss Portugal's final World Cup qualifier against Armenia this Sunday. If Roberto Martinez's team wins and secures direct promotion to Group F, the veteran, who is hitting his thousand-goal mark, will also be banned from participating in the first two games of the 2026 U.S.-Canada-Mexico World Cup.

According to A Bola reports, the Portuguese Football Association is preparing to lodge a formal complaint with FIFA, hoping to reduce the suspension period to one game. Their argument is based on three aspects: First, on the eve of the game, Ireland head coach Hallgrimson suggested that Ronaldo "controlled the referee" in Ireland's 0:1 away loss to Portugal last month with provocative remarks, which led to a hostile atmosphere at home in this game.

Secondly, the Portuguese Football Association emphasized the physical confrontation in the penalty area before the red card occurred, believing that Ronaldo was an instinctive reaction after being pulled multiple times.

Finally, they will be reminded of Ronaldo's impeccable disciplinary record in national team matches. In an astonishing 225 appearances, he has never received a red card. This is strong evidence that Friday's incident is not his usual style.

It is reported that Pedro Prenza, chairman of the Portuguese Football Association, personally participated in the drafting of the appeal, which fully demonstrates that they attach great importance to this incident.

FIFA has not yet made a statement on when it will make a ruling. Historically, they have typically announced disciplinary rulings about three weeks after each international window, but with no World Cup play-offs until March, this particular case is likely not to be classified as a matter of urgency.

Currently, the Portuguese team is still at the top of Group F, two points ahead of Hungary. As long as it defeats Armenia in the next game, it can ensure its qualification for next year's World Cup. This will realize Ronaldo's dream journey to participate in his sixth World Cup, although he faces the shadow of a suspension for the first two games.